A plectrum, also referred to as a “plec,” “pick” or “flat-pick,” is a small, typically flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed musical instrument. For guitars, banjos and similar instruments, the plectrum is a separate tool held in the player's hand during use.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a plectrum 100 in a typical triangular shape with rounded corners, although the size, shape and width of plectra vary considerably. The thickness, shape, and material used for forming the plectrum may be varied to accommodate user preferences for handling and/or to color the style of play. Plectra for guitars are made of a variety of materials, including celluloid, metal, and, in some cases, exotic materials such as stone, but plastic is the most common in recent times. For other instruments in the modern day most players use plastic plectra but a variety of other materials, including wood and felt (for use with the ukulele) are common.
In addition to playing a string musical instrument with a plectrum, users can also play the instrument directly, e.g., with the user's thumb and/or fingers without use of a tool. For guitar, play, for example, such style of play is commonly referred to as “finger-style” or “finger-picking” in contrast to the style of play involving use of a plectrum, which is often referred to as “flat-picking.”
One challenge that has plagued users of stringed musical instruments for some time has been the inability to quickly and efficiently alternate between flat-picking and finger-style methods of play due to the inability of the plectrum to be readily stowed and retrieved in a timely and repeatable manner. Often players desiring to alternate between the two styles noted above resort to cumbersome techniques, such as discarding plectra after a period of use and retrieving another one from a dispenser when subsequently needed. Another common approach is to store the plectrum in the user's mouth when not needed. Both approaches have the disadvantage of requiring the user to move the playing hand away from the string area to engage in the storage and retrieval, which may negatively result in mistiming play. The former approach has the further disadvantage of requiring multiple picks to be readily available, requiring clean up, and requiring a dispenser proximately located to the user, which may limit the player's mobility. The latter approach may further introduce the player's saliva onto the plectrum which can be transferred to the strings of the instrument, resulting in early decay and deterioration of the strings.
Existing devices have been attempted to provide means for stowing and retrieving a plectrum during play. A common deficiency in existing plectrum holders, however, is that the plectrum is fixedly attached to the means for mounting the holder to the user's finger. As such, the angle between the plectrum and the player's finger is fixed, resulting in reduced flexibility of playing positions. Moreover, storage and retrieval often involves a cumbersome rotation of the mounting means. Furthermore, the plectrum body is not replaceable and is subject to wear and breakage. Examples of such attempts include U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,237 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,243. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,237 has additional shortcomings, including, for example, the rotation of the pick around the forefinger being unassisted and does not place the retracted pick in a position where it will not interfere with the strings when playing finger-style. Similarly, while U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,592 provides a means for pivotally connecting the plectrum relative to the mounting means, storage and retrieval is awkward. Moreover, the position of the plectrum in play mode is significantly compromised, being in a fixed plane normal to the axis.
Alternatively attempts for providing storage and retrieval of the plectrum have provided more range of movement for the plectrum with respect to means for fixing the holder to the user, but such attempts often require awkward movements for storage and/or retrieval. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,020 does not provide for a reliably repeatable retrieval of the pick, as the mechanism is attached to the wrist and is subject to varied motion relative to the hand and fingers used for retrieval. Furthermore, rotation of the pick cannot be controlled. At best, it would take thumb, forefinger and visual reference to retrieve the plectrum. The device is also cumbersome, extending from the wrist over the back of the hand. Likewise U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,913 stows the plectrum in a cavity within the user's hand. To avoid the plectrum interfering with the strings during finger-style play, one would require a learned contortion technique and modifications of the user's style of play. Indeed, the rotation of the stowed pick is not governed or otherwise indexed, resulting in visual reference and varied time intervals for retrieval.
Accordingly, there exist a strong need in the field for a plectrum mounting apparatus for readily stowing and retrieving a plectrum during play.